


'...ankle bone's connected to the heart strings...'

by deeblink



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 08:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deeblink/pseuds/deeblink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gil has an accident and calls Nick... Light-hearted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'...ankle bone's connected to the heart strings...'

‘…ankle bone’s connected to the heart strings…’

The setting the scene bit

It had been raining heavily on and off for two days. Las Vegas and the surrounding area had been thoroughly soaked – not that it wasn’t needed and appreciated – but it was an inconvenience when there was work to be done. The dawn of what looked to be a bright and dry day brought a multiple vehicle accident on the I-15 just outside the city. Gil Grissom and three members of his team despatched themselves to the scene to start a preliminary exanimation.

Catherine and Warrick walked the scene placing small numbered evidence markers on the ground to highlight potential items of evidence. Sara followed, photographing and bagging that evidence as she went.

Gil remained at what was thought to be the primary scene trying to work things out. Wet road surface, vehicle deficiencies, negligent driver or drivers, other factors that may be unearthed. As Gil looked around he thought that it could well be a combination of all of these things, and more. Two people were dead as a result of the wrecks around him and at least two more had life threatening injuries, already being treated. The examination would be arduous, but thorough, as usual. 

Two cars had swerved off the highway and had landed about twenty feet away down a short, steep embankment. Gil could see these cars and first impressions at their mangled state indicated speed and finding complete resistance at their resting place. Both had hit trees and had been stopped suddenly and violently. The dead and one of the very seriously injured had been in these wrecks.

The embankment was muddy and very slippery from the rain and the personnel who’d traipsed back and forth recovering the injured. One man had died after being disentangled from the vehicle and another man was pronounced dead at the scene and so his body remained in the wreck.

Gil, armed with his camera and kit, intended to make his way down to that wreck. He knew that he would have to be careful during his descent and fully intended to do just that. However, on only his third step his right foot slipped and staggering to try and remain upright but preserve his camera and kit he completely lost his balance and went tumbling down the incline, stopped violently by a bush. 

The fall was a hard one – he wasn’t light or lithe, he knew that, and the momentum of the fall had winded him. He lay on his back, gasping for air and grasping for leverage of some kind – from the muddy ground and the bush. He made just a few movements of his arms to do so and the pain that wracked his left foot and leg caused him to shout. Most men would have used a profanity, Gil, always one for propriety shouted out, “Good grief!”

Even as he shouted he knew that he’d broken his left ankle, he now remembered hearing the crack and feeling the searing pain as he began to fall; his right foot had slipped but his left foot had buckled under him as he tried to regain purchase. He may well have shouted ‘good grief’ but he thought, ‘Of all the fucking stupid things to do, you fucking old man, why in motherfucking hell’s name couldn’t you have sent Warrick or Sara down to the wrecks, they’re fucking young and agile.’

His fall had not gone unnoticed; there were still police and fire officers and paramedics at the scene and all were mobilised within seconds at his shout. The universal cry of ‘man down’ alerted the other three that one of their own (be it any of the emergency personnel) was compromised, and all three turned back towards the primary scene and then jogged back. As they arrived, Grissom was already being attended by a fire crewman and two paramedics.

The three stood shocked for few moments and then Sara said. “I’m going down.’ And made to go down the embankment towards Grissom. 

Both Warrick and Catherine stopped her by physically taking an arm each but it was Catherine who said, “No, the right people are down there with him, you’d be in the way, he’s moving and talking – looks like he’s fallen and hurt a leg or something.” 

Sara was having none of that; she tried to squirm loose from their hold on her, saying, “Let me go, the man needs to know we’re there for him, LET ME GO!”

“Sara, for goodness sake stop it, he’ll be fine but he needs to be brought back up here by the professionals – people who know what to do – without you being in the way. Now calm down.” Catherine was using her sternest voice.

But it was Warrick who actually saved the day, “Do you really think he’d want you to see him like this Sara? Give the man a break and some privacy.”

Sara stood still and nodded once. The sense of what her colleagues had been saying to her, sinking in finally.

There was a bit of movement and the fire crewman hailed his team mates to bring a body board down – they’d ease him onto it and then haul him up to the road. There wasn’t an ambulance left at the scene, but there were couple of paramedics still at the site…they radioed for an ambulance to be sent back to the scene and also for a doctor’s permission to administer morphine 

The CSIs watched as the operation to move Grissom got underway. The emergency personnel were efficient and speedy, a few gasps were heard from Grissom as he was manhandled onto the body board but within seven or eight minutes Grissom had been hauled up to the road. He looked shaken and pale but could talk, he’d reassured them he’d be fine, that it was very likely he’d broken his ankle, but everything else still seemed to be in working order. He’d been given the morphine and was not in as much pain as he had been just a few minutes ago. All he had to do was wait for the ambulance and that was already on its way.

Sara’s initial desire to rush to his side now gave way to a reticence to speak to him. Catherine had noticed this phenomenon, and not for the first time or, she suspected, would it be the last time, she thought Sara was odd.

Catherine thoughts on Sara were interrupted by Grissom, still bound on the board, “Catherine, a favour if you don’t mind?”

“Of course, Gil, what do you want?”

“Will you reach into my right pants pocket and retrieve my cell for me?”

“No problem, do you want to make a call though, ‘because I can do it for you?”

“I do want to make a call but I must do it myself.”

“Okay, here goes, let’s see if I can cop a feel while I’m at it!”

“Catherine, under any other circumstances, I probably would let you, but just now…

“Oh, I’ll so hold you to that Gil Grissom.” Catherine retrieved the cell and gave it to Gil; he managed to open the cell up and dial ‘1’ and put it to his ear in a fairly dextrous manner given his circumstances.

He closed his eyes as he remembered that until a few months ago the lab had been ‘1’ on his speed dial, but he had a more important number one to call now. He waited for the connection and the dialling, and then the call was answered.

Gil’s bit

“Hey, it’s me.”

“…”

” I know I don’t normally but I have something to tell you and I’d rather it came it directly from the horse’s mouth than second or third hand.”

“…”

“Now I’m speaking to you aren’t I, so I must be okay and I am, except…”

“…”

“Still speaking. I think I’ve broken …”

“…”

“Honestly, I’m okay, I slipped at the scene and I think I’ve broken my ankle.”

“…”

“Listen to me…listen to me…the whole scene is crawling with fire crew and paramedics. I’m strapped to a body board waiting for an ambulance and I’ve been given morphine. So please calm down.”

“…” 

“I’m not alone here, Catherine, Warrick and Sara…”

“…”

“I promise I’ll do my best.”

“…”

“Which hospital am I going to?” Grissom nodded towards the paramedic crouched a little way away from him. When he’d heard, ‘probably Desert Palm’. He repeated that into his cell and listened.

“Yes, I realise that and I’m okay with it as long as you are.”

“…”

“I’ll see you as soon as you can get there.”

“…”

“I love you too and I’ll be fine just you be careful, one accident is enough!”

“…” 

“Bye.”

The three CSIs, while they had given Grissom a little space had heard every word he’d said into the cell, in the quiet of the very early morning.

Warrick thought, ‘the sly dog, that sounds like he’s been busy for some time and we didn’t know. Way to go!’

Catherine thought, ‘you old horn dog, Gil, I thought I knew you, you’ve not said a word to me or even indicated that there was a ‘special someone’ in your life – so much for sharing confidences. I’m going to stick to your side like glue ‘cause this ‘someone’ is going to turn up at Desert Palm.’

Sara was standing motionless and expressionless beside the other two but her innards were churning and she really was having difficulty catching her breath. She thought, ‘who, who is it, how could he, he KNOWS I love him; who’s done this to me, oh God what am I going to do. The bastard, the bastard, the bastard.’

Gil interrupted all of their musings to tell them to get on with the investigation. All looked incredulously at him.

“I’m going to be fine and now this has happened you’re going to be one down, so all hands to the deck.”

Catherine was not having that, “I’m going to call day shift in to cover you Gil, we’re your friends here and you can’t possibly expect us to ‘get on with it’ when you’ve been hurt and are going to hospital.”

Gil looked peeved so said, “You can come with me then, ‘to hold my hand,’ and he rolled his eyes to accentuate his reluctance for her to do so, “…and you two…” Indicating Warrick and Sara. “…can get on with the job.”

Warrick was fine with that, “Okay, boss.” He turned to go back to his allotted task.

Sara, naturally would not countenance the idea. “I don’t want to do this scene; I think we should come to the hospital with you.” She too, wanted to get a good look at her (bitter) rival; she wouldn’t be averse to holding Gil’s hand either.

Gil, starting to feel the effects of the pain, the shock and the morphine was not going to enter into an argument. He looked over at her with a strange look and heaved a heavy sigh. Catherine thought the look was ‘dislike’, Warrick thought he’d better keep out of everyone’s way - there was going to be hell to pay! 

The ambulance arrived and Gil was settled in as comfortably as they could get him. Catherine and Sara both went to get in – Gil held his hand up and said, “Catherine. Sara, you stay here… at least until the day shift arrive.”

Gil was really exhausted now; he’d been feeling quite chipper before his accident and in what, thirty minutes or thereabouts, his whole day and then some, had been turned upside down. The ambulance started back towards the city and the hospital. He felt Catherine take his hand and squeeze it, he looked up at her with tired eyes and smiled a little – he knew exactly what the little minx was after and wasn’t she in for a shock, they all were. Sara though, was in for a catastrophe, even he knew that, but he couldn’t think any more and drifted off into a drug induced sleep.

The very next thing he knew Catherine was gently shaking his shoulder. “We’re here, Gil, Desert Palm. Everyone will take care of you.” 

The next couple of hours dragged by, admission procedure, preliminary examination, blood tests, x-rays, more examinations and then waiting for an orthopaedic consult. He had been divested of his dirty mud covered clothing and been given a sponge bath so he felt a little more human. He’d also had an intravenous drip feeding him fluids and blessed morphine in a regulated but effective dose. Catherine was with him for most of the time but he’d been dozing between the bursts of activity, so had not been much company for her.

Catherine, of course could not have cared less, she was very happy indeed to be waiting with him, in fact she was counting down the time to her meeting the ‘love’!

She’d spent her time ruminating on all the women she knew that he knew and was trying to match them up. She wasn’t having any luck, she just couldn’t pair him up with anyone she knew, so deduced it was someone she didn’t know. She hadn’t spent a moment on Sara, knowing that she hadn’t been on the other end of Gil’s cell. 

‘Patience, Catherine, is a virtue’. She thought to herself.

Just then the door of the ER examination room was opened and a nurse announced visitors for Mr Grissom. They could only stay until the ‘ortho guy’ appeared.

Catherine was thrown by the plural ‘visitors’, but still looked up expectantly…into the faces of Warrick and Sara.

“Ecklie’s crew arrived and Ecklie himself told us to beat it and see how Gris was.” Warrick clarified.

The ‘dopey’ Grissom looked at them and said “Well, okay then, but let’s hope they do the job right, eh? You go home get some rest, all of you.”

‘No way, not now I’m this close.’ Was both Catherine’s and Warrick’s immediate thought.

Sara still didn’t speak, just stared at the prone man on the ER cot, his left leg elevated and encased in a plastic guard of some sort, around his foot and up to his knee. He was wearing hospital scrubs and had fluids from the drip, dripping into the back of his left hand. What Sara wanted to do was lie beside him, on him, smother his body with her own and keep him safe within her arms. 

Just then the nurse opened the door again and was less friendly than before announcing yet more visitors for Mr Grissom but this was the limit and everyone would have to leave after five minutes. As she left she revealed two more visitors for Gil and the three already in the room looked expectantly into the faces of Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders – the other two members of their team. 

 

Nick’s bit

There‘d been a huge auto accident on the interstate late in the shift and Gil and the other three had gone to the scene. Nick and Greg had already been dispatched to a double homicide in a house in the ‘burbs. They were working methodically around the scene, when Nick’s cell sounded from deep in his pockets. He answered and immediately walked outside of the house they were processing and onto the front porch. 

Greg had heard the start of the Nick’s conversation on his cell and the tone of Nick’s voice had made Greg’s ears prick up. ‘Gossip’ was his immediate, and as it turned out, correct, thought.

“…”

“What‘s the matter, you NEVER call me at work?”

”…”

“Oh God, there’s something wrong isn’t there what’s happened, babe…”

“…”

“You are hurt! Oh, God, what is it, please babe are you okay...”

“...”

“Oh no, no…”

“…”

“Oh my God, are you are on your own, do you need me to come to you, should I call 911?”

“…”

“I need to be with you…” 

“…”

“DON’T let Sara get within a mile of you; promise me you won’t. I swear if she even breathes in your direction she’s dead, man, dead…”

“…”

“Okay, okay, calming down here, you’re in good hands, you sound okay, which hospital are they taking you to?” 

“…”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can get there, we’ll finish up this scene - we’re about half way through and then I’ll come over, I suppose Greg’ll want to come with me. You realise that the closet door might be flung right open now don’t you, there’s no way with you in a hospital bed that I’m going to remain passive and impartial?”

“…”

“I have no problem at all; it was going to happen sooner or later, so sooner it is.”

“…”

“I love you, man; just take care until I can get there…”

“…”

“Don’t say that…and don’t let Sara in the ambulance with you make it Catherine…bye, see you soon” 

“…”

Nick snapped his cell shut and slipped it back in his pocket; he slumped against a wooden post and rubbed his eyes, careful not to disturb his contacts. Back to work, the sooner it was finished the quicker he’d be with his lover, his partner.

Greg was ready and waiting when Nick went back into the house, he’d heard enough of the conversation to know it was personal but not enough to establish the identity of the caller. 

“What was all that about, sounds serious?”

“No, it’s okay, man. That was my…my partner.” Might as well start as he meant to go on, but that was all he was going to say to Greg for now.

“Riiiggghhtt.” Greg’s response was all he could manage for the moment, he was annoyed with himself, for not being able to expand the conversation, but there was something not quite right about the way Nick had said, ‘my partner’. This was a mystery and Greggo would have to solve it.

They both focussed on the work at hand and made good progress. When they were finishing up a call came in on Greg’s cell. Mia, in the lab, reported that Grissom had had an accident and had apparently broken his ankle. He was at Desert Palm. Greg imparted this information to Nick, and Nick was momentarily caught off guard, not because he already knew but because no one else had else called him to tell him, he would’ve at least expected Warrick to let him know. And Catherine, come to that. He’d have them both for negligence. 

“We’d better get over there and see what’s what then.” Nick had concentrated on the crime scene really hard to block out his worry but now he was about to see Gil and expose their relationship, he was anxious. He hoped it was just about Gil’s injury, but coming out to their colleagues, who also happened to be their out of work friends was going to be interesting. They’d discussed it of course, but it wasn’t just their friends it was their jobs, the PD, Nick’s family.

As Nick drove to the hospital, he had a little bit of an epiphany about it all. He didn’t care about what anyone else thought, he was happier than he’d ever been and he was sure that Gil was ‘the one’ and that his feelings were well and truly reciprocated. Whatever was in store for them they’d face it together, united they’d stand…

Other bits and pieces 

The nurse they saw in the ER seemed exasperated that Gil Grissom had yet more visitors and as she took Nick and Greg to the room she said they could only stay a few minutes and then they’d all have to leave. ‘We’ll see about that’, thought Nick as he followed the moaning Minnie

The nurse repeated her edict to the room as she opened the door in front of them and as Nick walked in behind her with Greg at his heels he saw Warrick, Catherine and Sara looking expectantly towards him and then deflate, as one. He didn’t speak because he then saw Gil on the cot looking lonely and hurt, and took a huge intake of breath as he moved forward towards Gil as the nurse moved aside.

In the moment Gil saw Nick, his bravado and composure crumbled, he just breathed the name, “Nick.” It was loud enough for all the people in the room to hear. At the same time he held his arms up towards Nick inviting him to come to him and hold him.

Nick took three long strides to Gil, the others involuntarily stepped back to make way for him. He bent down and over Gil, Gil’s arms encircled his back and Nick’s arms encircled Gil pulling them together. Gil’s head was tucked into Nick’s shoulder and was held there by one of Nick’s hands resting in the soft curls.

Neither man spoke - just held on for dear life. Gil realising how much he had wanted Nick to come to him, to be with him, and Nick realising that he should have come to him immediately and been with him.

“I’m here now, babe, I got ya’” Nick was the first to break the absolute silence in the room, whispering into Gil’s ear. He kissed the part of Gil’s head that was right by his mouth, because he could.

“I’m going to be okay, now that you’re here, I’ll be okay. The orthopaedic specialist has been called in to consult with me, so I’ll know whether it can be set by manipulation or whether they’ll have to operate. I think it’s likely that they’ll operate, I seem to remember reading that ankles are notorious for needing to be pinned back together.” Whatever the circumstances Gil could always be relied upon to give a lecture.

Nick groaned, “I’ll take care of you, don’t worry, you’ll be okay, love you.”

Hearing the declaration of love caused Warrick to come back to his senses. He’d been in sensory overload by the scene that had unfolded before him, but now he was the first to speak. “Well, I’ll be darned if I ever thought I’d see this, good job there was no betting going on ‘cause, dudes, I’d have lost my shirt!” He’d adjusted to the information laid before him, but he would probably remain incredulous for several more weeks.

Hearing the declaration of love caused Catherine’s eyes to nearly pop out of her head and her mouth dropped open. She’d had her fair share of surprises over the years but this had to take the cake. These were two of the sexiest men she’d EVER met and yet her feminine intuition had missed it, totally, completely and absolutely. Catherine came around very quickly, she thought, ’my God but they do look cute, they seem to go together. Wow!’ She said, “Wow, you guys!”

Hearing the declaration of love caused Greg to think of the some gay guys he knew back home, friends of his family, but tormented by the vehemence of the hatred from their own families. The older man had killed himself when his young lover had failed to cope with that pressure and had left him. The last he’d heard the younger man had full blown Aids and was still ostracised by his family. Greg’s mom and dad were helping him out. He just hoped that his friends here would be able to cope. He thought, ‘Of course they will, this is Gil Grissom and Nick Stokes we’re talking about!” 

Hearing the declaration of love caused Sara to breathe through her mouth. She thought she was going to be physically sick and took deep breaths to prevent it. She felt hatred within her, heating up every part of her body. She thought, ‘The bastard never even thought about me, he wanted a man, another man. Another man, Nick Stokes, the most sought after man in the whole of LVPD and Gil Grissom had snagged the prize. Who’d’ve believed it? They’re both bastards, fucking bastards.’ She left the room; no-one noticed - they were gaping at the bastards.

Generally, everyone was flabbergasted that the two men were gay, but it was Vegas, so what the heck, no one was that bothered.

A few red-necked police officers were warned off by Brass and his allies. The bosses had to adhere to equality legislation, they did investigate the supervisor and staff aspect, but no one could find any hint of unprofessional behaviour.

Sara’s resignation was on the sheriff’s desk that same night, effective immediately, and despite attempts to contact her no one saw her again and she left Las Vegas without a backward glance. 

Gil’s ankle had to be pinned but he made a full recovery, which was remarkable, since he was threatened with murder on many occasions during the recovery period. Nick considered applying to the Vatican for his own sainthood for his forbearance under the weight of Gil’s moaning, groaning, general grumpiness and whining: oh man, he’d never heard whining like it. 

It was worth it though, ‘because Nick thought their life together was the stuff of fairy tales…and the sex wasn’t bad either…

The End


End file.
